LeBron James becomes first with 1,000 consecutive double-digit games



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LeBron scores over 10 points for 1000th game in a row

LeBron James turned 36e anniversary by becoming the first player in NBA history to have 1,000 consecutive games with at least 10 points.

James’ hook shot with 6:15 left in the second quarter in San Antonio gave him 11 points for the game, marking the 1,000th game in a row by scoring in double digits, a step that will be hard to match.

He already has the longest streak in NBA history – surpassing Michael Jordan’s 866-game mark on March 30, 2018 – and he continues to stretch the record every time he takes the court.

The last time LeBron failed to score 10 points in a game was Jan. 5, 2007, when he had eight points, nine assists and five rebounds as the Cavs beat the Bucks. He has eight single-digit games in his career, including six in 2003-04 (his rookie season).

Remember that this streak is only for regular season games. James has a pair of single-digit playoff games – in 2011 and 2014 when he was on the Miami Heat. Adding those to his single-digit regular season game tally brings James to 10, which is less than 1% (0.654% to be exact) of his 1,529 career games (regular season and playoffs combined).

While he’s risen through the ranks all-time in the regular season (No.3) and playoffs (No.1), it’s James’ consistency in scoring that separates him from other NBA greats past and present. This looming 1,000-game double-digit scoreline streak is the latest example of that consistency.

LeBron averaged 25.3 points per game last season, 12th in the NBA and second in the Lakers ahead of Anthony Davis (26.1 points per game, 10th in the NBA). It took until he was 17e season so LeBron is not his team’s top scorer in a given season. What he did instead was lead the league in assists for the first time in his career (with a career best score of 10.2 apg).

Check out LeBron James’ best dunk of each of his 18 seasons.

As his team-leading streak was snapped, he extended another remarkable streak averaging over 25 points per game for the 16e consecutive season. After averaging 20.9 points per game as a rookie, LeBron has never averaged less than 25 points per game in a season. It is by far the longest streak in league history. The next closest players are Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Michael Jordan with 11 consecutive seasons (and that’s if we include Jordan’s 1994-95 comeback season when he only played 17 games).

LeBron isn’t the pure goalscorer Jordan was in his prime. Jordan has won a record 10 titles, while LeBron has one. Jordan also has the highest average in league history at 30.1 points per game, while LeBron’s career 27.1 points per game ranks fourth. But when it comes to longevity and consistency, LeBron has the edge over one of the all-time greats.

Staring keen as he turns 18e season, there’s no indication that his double-digit goal streak will end anytime soon. How far can he push and how long will it take someone to have a realistic chance to challenge their mark?

Since the 1983-84 season, there have only been nine series of at least 300 consecutive double-digit performances. This list includes only two active series – LeBron at 999 and James Harden at 411.

When we look at the active playoffs, there are only six players who go past 75 consecutive double-digit games that go into Wednesday’s games. After Harden, the next longest active streak belongs to Kevin Durant (152 games), followed by Kawhi Leonard (125), Karl-Anthony Towns (113) and Bradley Beal (109). Add up those five sets (910) and that still wouldn’t be enough to match LeBron’s sequence.

Among the players with the longest active streaks, Harden probably has the best chance of challenging LeBron. Harden is the league’s top scorer, having led the league in scoring in each of the past three seasons.

However, he trails LeBron by 588 games – the equivalent of over seven full 82-game seasons. Plus, LeBron doesn’t stop at 1,000 games. This means that this brand will continue to rise, which will make challenging even more difficult for anyone.

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